Tales of Shodows 2: The Miasma
by Archdemon Slayer
Summary: Slightly different from the original Tales of Shadows 2. Miasma has appeared and Hope, Flynn, and Duke need to find a way to get rid of it.
**I got stuck on the other. I was typing up the battle with Kyuubi, but I didn't get that..."spark." This one is related to Tales of Shadows 2, but slightly different. Here's how:**

 **Takes place at the beginning of Tales of Shadows 2.**

 **Hope remembered everything before a year passed.**

 **Aragami appear, hence why this is a God Eater crossover.**

 **Spirit-powered blastia.**

 **No Blue Dragon characters.**

 **Hope's attitude toward Duke is different.**

* * *

Flynn and Hope were to meet with Duke here in the Quoi Woods, but Hope wasn't exactly thrilled.

"Of all the places, it had to be here! Dumb bugs everywhere!"

"At least it's not as bad as Kiev Moc," Flynn tried to reason with her. But Hope was _angry_.

"Dad should live near us!" Hope seethed. "He's a damn noble, so getting a place near the castle should be _easy_!"

Flynn sighed. "I've offered, but he kept turning it down."

"And now _we_ have to suffer for it!" the woman snarled. "If he isn't here in 10 minutes, I'm leaving!"

"I can't let you go alone in the miasma, you know," the Knight sighed. A few days ago, a purple-black fog appeared mysteriously, probably from another world. (Auldrant from Tales of the Abyss, with a source.) While ominous-looking, it didn't harm humans. But new monsters, called aragami, have come from it, attacking and eating people. The mist was called "miasma." Guilds, such as the Hunting Blades, made a lot of money from protecting towns from the aragami.

"I'm able to take care of myself! I'm not a baby!" his wife huffed. The bushes rustled, Flynn and Hope pulling out their swords.

"At least this will pass the time," Flynn admitted.

"I needed to take out my frustration on something," Hope said. Flynn sighed. When Hope was like this, almost nothing could snap her out of it. She's vent her anger on Yuri more times than he could count, much to the commandant's chargin. And if she was drunk, the situation gets ten times worse.

About two of the new aragami, Ogretails, came out of the bushes. They were brown and stood like a four-legged creature, except they only had two legs. Their tail was white and flat, but had two talons at the end. The heads were also white, looking like they were made of bone. Two yellow eyes stared at the Knights. Their mouths were full of sharp teeth, with two long, bottom ones at the front.

As one leapt at Hope, she used Last Fencer to smack the aragami behind her. Without missing a beat, she spun around and used the arte Falling Heavens, slashing down at the monster with her sword. The Ogretail, still on the ground, twisted its head up, using it like a shield, and blocking the strike.

Meanwhile, the other sprang at Hope, jaws wide open. Flynn moved in between them, holding his sword like a shield, And using it to knock the monster down as it crashed into the sword. Flynn used Demonic Circle on it, but the Ogretail backstepped in time, avoiding the arte. It then swung its tail at the blonde, taking him down. The aragami dove face first at the Knight, Flynn holding his sword sideways to block the snapping teeth just inches over his face.

Hope had smacked away the one she was facing again and spun around, using Dragon Claw to knock the Ogretail off Flynn. The Ogretail Hope was facing got up and reared back before lunging at her. Hope sidestepped in time and plunged her sword into the monster's back, causing blood to spurt on her face. As it struggled, the woman ripped the sword through its body up to its neck. She almost fell forward from the monster her sword was stuck in suddenly collapsing. She ripped Last Fencer out and watched as the Ogretail gave a small twitch before dying, turning into miasma.

A roaring got her and Flynn's attention. A Vaijra burst out from in between the trees and landed on the Ogretail Flynn was facing, crushing it. The Vaijra looked like a giant black-and-brown tiger with red strip thing around its neck. The end of its tail ended in a hook made of some sort of material. Above its eyes was a shield-like plate made of the same material. Coming from its mouth were two, very long, white fangs.

After eating the Ogretail, the Vaijra glanced at the two Knights and snarled.

"Oh hell..." was all Hope said.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Flynn grumbled. The Vaijra crouched and lunged at the two. Hope and Flynn sidestepped to either side of the aragami, about to fire off a Dragon Claw and a Demon Fang. However, the Vaijra instantly jumped back to where it was.

"Careful!" Hope snapped. She wasn't in the mood to be a victim of friendly fire.

"You're the one aiming Dragon Claw at me!" Flynn retorted.

"Well, I didn't expect the thing to leap back!" While the two were busy arguing, the Vaijra had crouched, charging up several balls of electricity in front of it. When the aragami fired them, Hope and Flynn broke off their fighting and jumped up, dodging the attack. But the Vaijra was ready for this. It pounced over the Knights, ready to slam its paws down on the two.

A sword went flying from the bushes, digging into the Vaijra's side and throwing it off. Hope and Flynn recognized the sword as Dein Nomos, which meant the person was...

"Just in the nick of time, Duke!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Scene-stealer!" Hope shouted. Just as the two landed, the silver-haired swordsman appeared, walking up to the Knights.

"I was on my way to see the two of you. I did not expect to find a Vaijra as well," Duke said. The Vaijra struggled to its feet, shaking the daze from its head. Dein Nomos was still wedged deeply into the aragami.

"Gah! You can have my sword until you get Dein Nomos back!" Hope huffed, tossing Last Fencer to Duke. He caught it, glancing at his daughter.

"How will you fight then?"

"I can still fight with magic," Hope replied. As if to prove her point, a fire magic circle appeared under her and three fireballs fired themselves at the Vaijra. The tiger ducked, using the plate over its eyes to protect itself from the fireballs. Duke charged at the monster next, managing to use Light Spear. The Vaijra used one forepaw to defend itself, the arte cutting it deeply. As Duke reached for Dein Nomos, the red strips lifted themselves up, lighting raining down around he tiger. Some of it struck Duke, who was sent skidding across the ground, blood running down his face from his head.

Hope prepared another fire spell while Flynn ran at the aragami. The Vaijra whipped its tail at the Knight, knocking the blonde away. It lumbered over to the man, raising one paw up to bring it down on Flynn.

"Flame Dragon!" Hope cried out, knocking the beast into a tree. Duke used Around on the Vaijra's head to stun it while he pulled out Dein Nomos, blood from the monster's wound flowing freely. The man tossed Last Fencer back to the silver-haired woman. Hope used Hornet Sting to widen the aragami's wound.

By now, the Vaijra was in a panic, randomly attacking the others. It launched the lightning balls at Duke, but he teleported above the tiger, using Moonbeam and taking it down. While it was on the ground, Flynn used Sonic Thrust on its face, tearing off the plating. Hope finished the beast by going into Overlimit and using Eternal Dance, bringing her sword down on the Vaijra in an X shape, then spinning around in a full circle while slashing with the sword. It was finished with a jump in the air, bringing the sword up, then slashing down as she landed.

As the monster faded into miasma, the two Knights put their swords away. Flynn used First Aid to close the wound on Duke's head while Hope came over.

"I am _pissed_ right now! You'd better have a good reason for calling us all the way out here!"

"Settle down..." Flynn said. Duke sighed.

"I see you have married someone that acts like Mai," Duke whispered to Flynn.

"Was she a real wild card then?"

Duke nodded. "When she was pregnant, I feared for my life. Her mood swings were _horrible_!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?!" Hope demanded.

Duke sighed before thinking, _'She looks mostly like me, but she seems to take after her mother as far as personality goes.'_ Duke glanced up at Hope. "This miasma need to be dealt with."

"What's the problem?" she asked.

"The miasma harms the mana," the man said. "Miasma eats away the mana, which the spirits live off of. Without mana, spirits will go extinct and the world will die without them regulating the aer and converting it into mana."

"What does this have to do with us?" Hope asked.

"Unfortunately, Brave Vesperia is on a job right now."

 _'Damn that Yuri when we need him!'_ Hope thought bitterly. Rita was busy researching how to replace the barrier blastia and didn't want to be disturbed unless the person wants a fireball in their face. Raven was helping Brave Vesperia. And the Knights didn't want to risk the princess getting hurt.

"Will you two help?" Duke asked.

"Of course," Flynn replied. "Right, Hope?"

"Fine, whatever," Hope huffed.

* * *

Deep inside Kiev Moc, a large monster peered out from the large tree hollow where it was living. It checked the miasma, verifying a Vaijra was just slain. Strange, a Vaijra shouldn't have been defeated so easily. Which means, whatever took it out was strong.

The creature grinned. Whatever it was might give the beast some fun.


End file.
